Local News

Ahead of Tuesday night’s meeting, the Kenai Peninsula borough assembly and the school board got together for a joint work session on the school district budget.

For almost 60 years, the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce has recognized local businesses during an annual awards ceremony. For the big one, the Chamber’s business of the year award, some critria need to be met.

This past weekend may have been the busiest of the winter. What with Native Youth Olympics, the Tustumena 200 Sled Dog Race, the Arctic Winter Games, and who can forget the KDLL Annual Membership Party?

Well, on Saturday out at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge visitors center, a mushing guide turned author demonstrated his Siberian mushing set up, and talked about his new book, "An Alaskan Adventure: Tales of a Musher."

Sportshooters in Cooper Landing may soon have a new facility to sharpen their aim. The borough planning commission will take up a motion this week to lease 66 acres for a new shooting range.

  The Kenai River at the Soldotna Bridge entered minor flood stage several times on Thursday and Friday, according to National Weather Service measurements.

The Service issued a special weather statement Sunday warning of the rising water levels on the Kenai River as freeze-up continues. As ice forms the river, the statement says, it can build up and restrict the flow of the water, backing it up behind the ice and raising levels.

The city of Soldotna has made a job offer for a new city manager. Stephanie Queen, who had been the interim city manager since October was selected unanimously in a special session Thursday.

Residents along the coast of the Gulf of Alaska got a shaky wake up earlier this week. Fallout from a nearly eight point earthquake was limited to a predawn trip for some to higher ground, and no major damage was reported from the resulting tsunami wave, which topped out at less than a foot.

  Project Homeless Connect, a one-day outreach to the peninsula’s disadvantaged, attracted scores people to the Soldotna Sports Complex Wednesday. Frank Alioto, whose daytime job is at Central Peninsula Hospital, is a co-leader of the project.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission now has all the documentation it needs to move to the next phase in analyzing the AK LNG Project. The Alaska Gasline Development Corporation announced Monday it had submitted the latest round of paperwork.

The draft report last month highlighting turbidity problems in the Kenai river has left most affected groups and organizations trying to figure out what to do next.

The International Halibut Commission, or the IPHC, will kick off its annual meeting in Portland Monday. 

The annual process of putting together the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District budget is underway.

There are some service area boards around the borough that have had a tough time finding enough members. Sometimes finding enough members to simply conduct business.

The state may have a new dance partner for the AK LNG Project. Governor Bill Walker tweeted over the weekend about meetings he had with the heads of some North Slope producers.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is looking for ideas on what to study next.